


Unlimited

by BirdSpell



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Fluff, M/M, Matt is done with your pining, Mutual Pining, Pre-Kerberos Mission, ha ha i'm late again, the Lions ship it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-02-05
Packaged: 2018-09-20 11:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9489917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdSpell/pseuds/BirdSpell
Summary: My submission for Sheith week Unlimited.Day 1: DreamerDay 2: LionsDay 3: One Last TimeDay 4: OrbitDay 5: FriendsDay 6: DallianceDay 7: Free day





	1. Dreamer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is dreaming. He's sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who once again wasn't aware of Sheith week until after it started? Ha ha, I need a calendar, or something.

Keith knows that he’s dreaming. He has to be, because Shiro is gone, and that’s- It can’t be real, right? No, it’s just a nightmare, there’s no other option. After everything they’ve been through, Shiro can’t just be _gone._ It’s not fair, there’s no way the universe could be that cruel. So instead of joining the others in a panicking mess he takes a deep breath, sighs, and turns to face them.

“We’ll find him,” he says. “He can’t have gone far, so we just have to stay calm and focus. Allura, Coran, see if the Castle’s sensors can pick up on anything. Pidge, Lance, Hunk, take your Lions and look around the surrounding area. I’ll see if I can convince Black to tell me anything.”

He has to be dreaming, because the others follow his orders with only the briefest confused looks. If this was real, they’d argue, right? They wouldn’t accept him as leader as if it were the obvious solution, because who would choose _him_ to lead? None of them would just… go along with it. Obviously he’s dreaming. “Right, Black?” he asks aloud. “It’s just a dream, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

Yes, it’s definitely a dream, because he can hear Black rumbling concern in his head and Black is _Shiro’s_ Lion; he would never talk to Keith like that. “Yeah,” he continues. “It’s not real. There’s no way.” He sits in the pilot’s seat. It’s just as comfortable as it was the first time he sat there, and still warm with Shiro’s body heat _. This is a very realistic dream_ , he thinks. It’s still just a dream, though. As long as he remembers that, he’ll be fine.

Black sends him the idea of confusion, concern, and fear. He’s worried. Well, of course he is. Keith’s worried, too- That is, he _would_ be, if this wasn’t a dream. It’s a dream. It’s only a dream. It has to be a dream.

Black has no idea what happened, either. No matter how much Keith cajoles him, he can’t remember anything apart from a sense of wrongness and the sudden absence of his Paladin. The others return with similar reports: None of them can find anything. It’s as if Shiro just… vanished. “We _will_ find him,” he insists. “For now, get some rest. Everyone’s tired. We’ll sleep on it, and come back to it in the morning.”

The others nod and scatter towards their quarters. Keith would do the same, but he feels too tired to move. “Well, it’s just a dream,” he reasons. “I’ll just wake up wherever I fell asleep, so it doesn’t really matter.” That decided, he curls up in Black’s seat and closes his eyes. He drifts off instantly.

He wakes still in Black’s seat, but Shiro is standing in front of him. “Hey, baby,” he says gently.

“Shiro!” Keith scrambles out of the seat, losing his balance in his hurry. Shiro just barely manages to catch him before he can hit the floor. “Oh, thank god. I had the most _horrible_ dream, I- I thought I’d lost you again- I-” He’s struggling to get the words out. It feels like he has to hurry, or he’ll never be able to explain himself like this.

“Hey, hey,” Shiro coos. “It’s okay. I’m right here.”

Keith sniffs, burying his head in Shiro’s chest. “I knew it was just a dream,” he says. The words sound hollow to his ears.

“…Right,” Shiro says hesitantly. “It was just a dream. I’m not… I’m not going anywhere, baby. I promise, I’ll always be with you.”

“Is something wrong?” Keith glances up, but Shiro seems completely normal. “Takashi?”

“Keith, baby,” Shiro replies. “You know I love you, right?”

“I- Of course.” He’s confused. Why would Shiro ask that? Hasn’t Keith made it obvious? “I love you, too. Takashi, you’re acting weird. What’s going on?”

“Keith,” Shiro says. “Baby, how are you so sure that you were dreaming?”

“Of course I was dreaming,” Keith says. A horrible sick feeling forms in his stomach. “You’re here, aren’t you? Takashi, you’re scaring me.”

“Sorry, baby.” Shiro’s hand brushes his cheek gently. Keith leans into the touch. “I’m so sorry, but you have to wake up now.”

“What are you _talking_ about?” Keith asks. He can hear the desperation starting to seep into his tone. “I’m already awake! This is real, isn’t it?!”

“Shh, shh,” Shiro murmurs. “It’ll be alright. You’re going to find me, baby. I know you are. Until then, you’re going to do a great job leading the others. I’m counting on you.”

“Takashi,” Keith whimpers. “Takashi, stop it, please. I’m already awake, aren’t I? I was dreaming before. You can’t be _gone._ Please, you can’t be gone _again_.”

Shiro chuckles. His breath stirs Keith’s hair. “Sorry, baby,” he says. “Just remember, I love you.”

“I-” The world seems to shift abruptly, and Keith jolts upright, breathing hard. He loses his balance with the sudden shift and falls out of the pilot’s seat, banging his head on the console and his shoulder on the floor. “Ow! Wha-?”

He’s lying on the floor on Black’s cockpit, aching all over. Black’s voice rumbles through his head again, filled with amused-concern. “I’m okay, buddy. Don’t worry.”

 _So it’s real, then. Shiro… He really is gone again…_ Shiro is counting on him, right? Then he has to keep going. He can’t break down now, he has to be strong, for everyone’s sakes. Besides, if he can’t handle it, how can he expect everyone else to manage? He has to- Has to-

Black’s rumbling changes to something approaching a comforting purr. Keith can hear Red’s gentle humming, too. His cheeks are wet, he realises suddenly. He’s… crying?

He can’t bring himself to stand up, choosing instead to curl up on the cold floor of the cockpit. He’s sobbing, he realises dully. He tries to force his breathing to even out. “T-Takashi,” he manages to force out.

The Lions’ purring changes to almost a frantic pitch. They’re worried about him? That’s… sweet, in a way. It helps, at least a little, to feel their concern. Keith has to admit, it’s nice to be able to feel exactly how much someone cares about you.

He’s not sure how long it is before he manages to stop crying, just that no one else has woken; or, if they have, they haven’t come near the hangars. He sits up, wiping a shaky hand across his cheeks. “I’m okay, guys,” he says quietly, feeling the Lions’ questions. “I’m- I’ll be okay.”

He is going to find Takashi, he promises himself. He’ll find him, and everything will be just the way it was before. He can almost see it when he closes his eyes. Yes; yes, he’ll fix this. One way or another, Shiro will be fine.


	2. Lions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lions, as it turns out, make the best wingmen.

The first time it happens, Shiro dismisses it as a one-time thing. He’s talking to Keith in Black’s hangar, going over their latest mission, when he feels a strong shove from behind and is sent staggering into his friend, knocking them both off their feet. He barely manages to avoid landing on Keith with his full weight.

Keith yelps. “Sh-Shiro?!” He looks so cute, staring up at Shiro with that startled face. Shiro has to admit, he does like having Keith trapped underneath him- _NO. Bad brain! He’s my friend, nothing more!_

“I-I’m so sorry!” Shiro scrambles off of him, twisting to look behind him. He spots the culprit immediately; Black looks as self-satisfied as a robotic lion can, and a sense of smugness radiates across their bond. “I guess Black wanted my attention, or something; I have no idea why he did that, really, Keith, I am so-”

“It’s- It’s fine,” Keith says. He looks flushed. Well, of course; that was a little embarrassing. Shiro offers him a hand up, which Keith accepts gratefully. “Don’t worry about it. Um, I should check on Red, so…”

“Sure. Uh, yeah, Black might be malfunctioning, actually, so I need to check that anyway.” He sees Keith off with a wave, then turns to his Lion. “Black!” he hisses. “What was that, huh?”

Black still seems smug. _Don’t tell me you didn’t like it,_ he seems to say.

“Shut up!”

* * *

 

The next time is harder to explain. They’re in the middle of a training exercise, practicing their combat skills on the uneven ground outside the Castle. All five of them are there, the Lions settled in a circle around them. All of them can see Red very deliberately lean down and nudge Keith with her nose, just hard enough to knock him off-balance so that he stumbles into Shiro, who has just enough time to deactivate his arm and catch Keith before they both end up on the ground.

“Red!” Keith yelps. “Shit, Shiro, I’m so sorry, she’s never done that before.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Shiro chuckles. “Black did the same thing, remember? Maybe she was just evening the score.”

“Wait, both your Lions are doing this?” Pidge asks. “That’s weird. I mean, Green hasn’t done anything like that. I don’t think Yellow and Blue have, either.” Lance and Hunk nod in agreement. “Is it possible they’re malfunctioning?”

Shiro shakes his head. “That’s what I thought, too, but I checked Black thoroughly. Everything was fine.”

Hunk frowns. “Why would they do that? I guess the Lions do have minds of their own, but I don’t get why they’d shove their Paladins over. Yellow wouldn’t do that.”

“Maybe they’re just playing?” Lance suggests.

“Maybe.” Keith shrugs. “She’s definitely enjoying herself. I can tell.” He smacks Red’s leg gently. “She’s laughing.”

“We’ll ask Allura and Coran when we get back to the Castle,” Shiro decides. “I don’t think it’s dangerous, but we should check just in case.”

* * *

 

Allura and Coran don’t have any concrete answers. “Well,” Coran muses, “I’ve heard of Lions making their positions on their Paladin’s interpersonal relationships very clear, but usually that involves them shoving people away from their Paladin, not pushing their Paladin into someone. Perhaps Lance is right, and they are just playing?”

“Father said that the Lions knew exactly how the Paladins felt about each other,” Allura offers. “Perhaps they know something the two of you are unaware of?”

“I guess,” Shiro allows. “It’s just weird.”

“Your Lions would never allow you to be hurt by anything,” Allura assures them both. “Whatever they’re doing, they mean well.”

“Yeah, that’s obvious,” Keith says. “I don’t know about Black, but Red seemed pretty pleased with herself. You know?”

“Yeah, Black was the same way.” Shiro never considered just how much the Lions knew about them. Thinking about it, it makes sense that Black would know about his feelings toward Keith, but that didn’t explain Red’s actions. She wouldn’t act on _his_ feelings, would she? And there is no way Keith felt the same; if he did, wouldn’t he have told Shiro by now? Keith is terrible at hiding things.

Keith is blushing when Shiro pulls himself from his thoughts. “I need to talk to Red,” he says, and quickly leaves the room.

He should probably talk to Black, too. If it really is to do with their relationship, then he needs to ask Black to knock it off; it’s obviously making Keith uncomfortable, so there’s no point in continuing it. As much as he’d love for Keith to reciprocate his feelings, it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t.

He can feel Black sigh. _You still don’t get it?_ he seems to say. _Idiot._ The fond exasperation in his tone makes Shiro smile. ”Sorry, buddy,” he says. “You’re gonna have to explain it to me.”

He can feel the mental equivalent of a shove as Black nudges him in the direction of Red’s hangar. “Okay, okay,” he mutters. “I’ll talk to him.”

He walks to Red’s hangar slowly. Really, he’s not sure what Black expects him to say. The idea of confessing makes him want to hide in his room, but it’s obvious that Black, at least, thinks he should. And if Red’s doing the same thing to Keith…

When he arrives at the hangar, there’s no sign of Keith. However, Red’s particle barrier is down; Keith must be inside. Red stirs as he approaches, tilting her head to watch him approach. Then she calmly ejects Keith from the cockpit in Shiro’s direction. Shiro has to scramble to catch him. “Keith! You okay, buddy?”

“Uh, yeah.” Keith looks stunned. “What the hell was that?” he grumbles. “Come on, Red.” It’s only then that he seems to realise where, exactly, he is. He blushes. “Oh. Shiro, um… Thanks. For catching me.”

“No- No problem.” Shiro bends to deposit Keith back on his feet. “Uh. We should talk.”

“Yeah, probably.” Keith scowls in Red’s direction. She just puts up the particle barrier and sits still, as if she didn’t just launch her Paladin across the room. “Red thinks I have something to tell you.”

Black thinks I have something to tell you, too,” Shiro says. “Uh, you want to go first, or should I?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Keith says shortly. He’s still flushed bright red. “Um, up to you.”

“Okay.” Shiro forces himself to take a deep breath. “Um. I, um- I- This is harder than I thought it would be. I…”

Keith offers him a smile. “Don’t force yourself. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

“No,” Shiro insists. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s just… hard. You know? It’s kind of personal.”

“Mine, too,” Keith says, almost shyly. “Seriously, we don’t have to do this right now-”

“I love you,” Shiro blurts out, cutting him off. He can feel himself blushing, but it’s easier now that he’s started. “I’ve loved you for years, I’ve just never known how to say it- I was going to tell you before Kerberos, but that didn’t seem fair to you, and after there never seemed to be a good time- Uh, it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, I just had to tell you, and-”

“Takashi,” Keith interrupts softly. When Shiro looks at him, he’s smiling softly. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks. “We could’ve done this a lot sooner.”

“This?” Shiro echoes. He’s not confused for long. Keith steps forward, rocking up onto the balls of his feet so he can wrap his arms around Shiro’s neck and pull him into a kiss.

Shiro’s arms curl around Keith’s waist almost of their own accord. He pulls the younger man as close as he can, feeling Keith’s warmth in his arms and Black’s pride in his head.

He can admit, if only to himself, that the Lions might have had the right idea this time.


	3. One Last Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Shiro make the most of their last day before Shiro starts prepping for Kerberos.

“Kerberos, huh.”

“Yeah.” Shiro leans back on his hands, staring up at the sky. “It’s a huge honour.”

“Of course it is,” Keith snorts. They’re sitting on the Garrison roof, in their usual stargazing spot. Honestly, when Shiro said he had something important to tell him, he was expecting something like this. “Everyone knew you were going to get it.”

“Well, I had an idea…” Shiro says. He sounds embarrassed, as if admitting he knew he would get this mission was the worst possible thing he could do. “But it’s not really something you say, you know…? I wasn’t going to just walk up to Iverson and ask when he’d announce I’d gotten it.”

“Of course you wouldn’t.” Keith sighs, leaning over to rest his head on Shiro’s shoulder. “So, when do you leave?”

“In a little over a month,” Shiro tells him. “And we’re going to be preparing for the mission for a lot of that time, so I won’t be around much…”

“That’s normal for such a big mission.” It’s one hell of an assignment, Keith admits to himself. Shiro will be gone for almost a year; maybe nine, ten months at a minimum. “Well, congratulations.”

“Thanks.” Shiro’s hand comes to rest in Keith’s hair, stroking absentmindedly. “I’m gonna miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too,” Keith replies. “You’ll be gone a long time…”

“Not that long,” Shiro promises. “You’ll be pretty busy; the time will fly by, I’m sure of it. I bet you’ll be ready for missions of your own by the time I get back.”

“Yeah, maybe.” Keith smiles weakly. “We’ll go together next time.”

“Of course, co-pilot,” Shiro teases. “What would I do without someone making the engineer puke all over the shuttle floor?”

“Hey, not my fault Garrett has such a weak stomach!” Keith complains. “All I did was dodge around an asteroid, seriously.”

“I know,” Shiro assures him. “I did watch the video.” He laughs. “I’m gonna miss those too, while I’m gone. There are few things better than watching the new recruits panic when they’re thrown into a sim with you. It’s like putting a tranquilized cow in a cage with a starving lion.”

“You saying I eat them?” Keith asks. “I can’t help that they expect everyone to follow the rules.”

“I think they’re put in with you to stop them thinking that,” Shiro points out. He sighs. “Try not to kill anyone while I’m gone?”

“No promises.” Keith glances at him. “I wish I could go with you.”

“I wish you could come, too.” Shiro pulls him into a one-armed hug. “Next time. I’ll refuse to go unless they let you come with me.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” Keith smiles. “I guess you’ve only got a couple days before they throw you into training?”

“Just tomorrow,” Shiro says mournfully. “That’ll be our last chance to do anything together until I get back.”

“And I have classes!” Keith whines. “We can’t do anything until around five.”

“Then we should take the hoverbike,” Shiro suggests. “We’ll go to that shack of yours, sleep on the porch, under the stars… Drink hot chocolate and cuddle until morning.”

“Just cuddle?” Keith asks. “You’re not thinking big enough, Takashi.”

“Just cuddle,” Shiro insists. “You’ll be of age by the time I get back; can you hold out that long?”

Keith groans, falling forward to drape himself over Shiro’s legs. “Why do you have to be such a fine, upstanding citizen?” he asks, only half joking. “I’ll be legal in, like, three months. Isn’t that close enough?”

“Keith, just being in a relationship with you is breaking enough rules,” Shiro reminds him. “Don’t make it worse, please.”

“Okay, okay,” Keith sighs. “One last night together before you leave, but no more than cuddling. Got it.”

“Thanks, baby.” Shiro kisses his hair. “It’s almost curfew. Let’s get inside and get some sleep.”

Keith tosses him a lazy salute and stands, offering him a hand up. “Until tomorrow, then.”

* * *

 

The next day is as busy as ever. Keith is in lectures all day, but he doesn’t hear much; the thought of the night to come is enough to keep him distracted. He’s almost glad he doesn’t have any sims today. There’s a good chance he would crash, and he doesn’t want to do that to Hunk’s stomach.

His sort-of friend notices how distracted he is. Hunk is good at picking up on people’s moods. When asked, Keith just gives a noncommittal shrug and insists he’s fine until Hunk wanders off, frowning. He won’t say anything, though; he knows just enough about Keith’s habits to not say anything to anyone.

The end of the day can’t come soon enough; as soon as the bell rings, Keith is on his feet and out of the classroom, barely stopping at his room long enough to drop his stuff and change into civvies. Shiro still manages to beat him to the hangar, as usual. “Hey,” Keith greets him. “She all ready to go?”

“I still can’t get over the fact that you named my bike,” Shiro says by way of answer, tossing Keith a helmet.

“Red suits her,” Keith insists.

“Yeah, it does.” Shiro hops up, offering Keith a hand. Keith accepts it, settling behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist. “All set?”

“Yep.” It’s the only warning he gets before Shiro peels out of the hangar and turns sharply to head towards the shack. “You’re in a hurry!” Keith yells over the wind.

“I’ve been looking forward to this all day!” Shiro calls back. “Don’t tell me you aren’t enjoying it!”

He is, but there’s no way he’ll tell Shiro that.

The trip doesn’t take long going at full tilt, and they’re there before the sun has set all the way. Keith swings himself down off the bike before Shiro can do his whole gentleman routine and settles on the porch steps. “A night under the stars, you said?” he asks.

“With hot chocolate and cuddles,” Shiro agrees. “But we should wait until it starts cooling down before we get that out.”

“No kidding,” Keith laughs. “I don’t want to die of heatstroke, thanks.”

Shiro laughs and sits beside him. “One last day,” he sighs. “Better make it count.”

To cut a long story short? They do. The evening is spent laughing and reminiscing, then curling up together and searching for constellations once it gets cold and dark. It might be their last day, but they make it last.

“I love you,” Keith murmurs later, when the hot chocolate is gone and they’re just waiting to fall asleep.

“I love you too, baby,” Shiro mutters back. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The ending's a bit rushed, sorry. I've still got homework to do.  
> Hunk and Keith knew each other at the Garrison and NO ONE CAN TELL ME DIFFERENT.


	4. Orbit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In orbit above a planet at risk of Galra attack, Shiro and Keith take a moment to talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's shit and only tangentially related to the prompt, but I didn't have anything good for this one. Tomorrow, maybe Persona 4 AU?

“I finally get what Lance was whining about,” Keith grumbles. “Watch duty _sucks_.”

Shiro chuckles over the comm. “Sorry, babe,” he says. “Someone had to do it, and you need a break from training anyway.”

“Do not,” Keith insists. “What’s the point of this, anyway? I’m literally just circling the planet. You know the likelihood of me actually catching a Galra ship entering the atmosphere?”

“No,” Shiro tells him. “What is it?”

“Well… I don’t know, either,” Keith admits. “But I bet it’s pretty low!”

“I’ll come and join you when I’m done with planning,” Shiro promises. “It shouldn’t be long now; ten minutes, maybe?”

“Fine,” Keith pouts. He knows he’s pouting, because Shiro’s entire face seems to soften. “Hurry up.” He reaches out to turn off the comm. system, then leans back in his chair with a sigh. “What do you think, Red? Can we really accomplish anything out here?”

Red rumbles consolingly. At least the view’s nice, though; he can see miles and miles of forest below him, and nothing but stars above. Sometimes a city comes into view among the trees, just visible on the scanners, then vanishes just as quickly. Keith hadn’t caught any of the names, but apparently there are something like giant predatory moths that kill any living thing they see on the ground; the planet’s other inhabitants have long since mastered the art of creating cities and towns that blend into the surrounding area near-perfectly. Not even Allura and Coran are sure what the people who live here look like, or what they’re called; no one has landed on the planet in living memory. Apparently, they don’t want to. Rumour has it that the inhabitants tend to slaughter anyone who ‘invades’ their home, or so much as enters the atmosphere.

“This is _so boring_ ,” Keith complains, patting the console. “Isn’t it, girl? There’s nothing here of any interest except us. Seriously, maybe Pidge’s Galra… probability tester is wrong. We don’t even know if this place has anything of interest!”

He can feel Red’s agreement in the back of his mind. There’s another voice there, too; the faintest echoes of Black’s annoyance at his attitude. He hasn’t told anyone, but that’s been happening a lot lately. It’s probably nothing, he assures himself. Maybe it’s just a side effect of his relationship with Shiro. Maybe it’s a leftover connection from piloting Black. Either way, it’s nothing to worry about. “What’s taking Shiro, anyway?”

He sits in bored silence for a few minutes, watching the planet spin below him as Red orbits it. Then Black pulls up beside him. “Hey, Keith,” Shiro calls over the comm. “Miss me?”

“Only a little.” He stands and pulls himself out of the cockpit, activating his jetpack to fly over to Black. He can feel Red’s amusement at his eagerness.

Shiro meets him just inside the hatch. “Anything exciting happen?” he asks.

“Are you kidding?” Keith groans, pushing past him to lean against the console. Black grumbles good-naturedly, but otherwise doesn’t react to the movement. “Nothing happened. Nothing’s happened for the past _two days,_ Shiro. How long are we going to hang around here? Zarkon’s still out there, waiting for us. The more time we waste, the more time he has to prepare!”

“I know,” Shiro assures him. “Give it one more day. If nothing happens, we’ll leave. Promise.”

“Alright.” Keith sighs. “So what now? We’ve got, what… a few hours until someone comes up to relieve us? Not much to do up here…”

“I should have brought cards,” Shiro jokes. He sits down in the pilot’s seat. “Although, we haven’t had much time to talk lately.”

“We haven’t, had we?” Keith sits on Shiro’s lap before he can talk himself out of it, wrapping an arm around his neck for balance. “…I’ve really missed you.”

Shiro’s arms curl around his waist. “I missed you, too,” he says, sounding a little confused. “But – and please don’t take this the wrong way – didn’t we go over this already, Keith?”

“Yeah, I just- After the Trials, I felt like… I hadn’t said enough. You know?” He’s not sure he could ever say enough, to be honest. Shiro is everything to him, more than he could ever explain.

Shiro smiles and kisses his nose. “I think you’ve said plenty,” he teases.

“Maybe,” Keith allows. “But I think… there’s always more… you know, like… Um…”

Shiro cuts him off with another kiss. “I love you too, baby.”


	5. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt is done with these pining idiots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Persona 4 AU didn't happen. Maybe another time.

“You’re pining,” Matt says, following Shiro’s eyes across the room.

“I’m not,” Shiro says, his gaze not shifting in the slightest.

“Well, you’re staring, if nothing else. I’m pretty sure he’s noticed.”

That gets Shiro’s attention. His friend’s eyes jerk away from the first year cadet he’s been watching for at _least_ five minutes to meet Matt‘s unamused face. Well, he‘s pretty sure he looks unamused, at least. He hopes so. “Uh, did I look creepy, at all? Do you think I freaked him out? Oh, man, why didn’t you say something sooner?”

Matt snorts. “Calm down, I was kidding. I don’t think he saw. It was a little creepy, though.”

Shiro groans and drops his head onto the table. “Great. I really hope no one else notices.”

“You’re obsessed,” Matt tells him. He’d feel bad about the miserable look Shiro shoots him at that, but it’s true; Shiro’s nuts about this kid.

 _“Keith Kogane,”_ Shiro had said when he first found out about the guy. _“First year, seventeen years old; eighteen next spring. Word is he’s the only first year who managed to complete the training sim first try.”_

 _“Not bad,”_ Matt had replied, expecting that to be the end of it. Kogane, however, kept surprising the instructors, and that kept Shiro’s eyes firmly fixed on him. Somewhere along the way, professional interest in a talented cadet had morphed into curiosity, which had in turn become something far too close to longing for Matt’s taste.

“You’ve never even talked to him,” he says now, “and apparently he’s kind of a dick. Real lone wolf, strong and silent type. You probably wouldn’t like him.”

“You don’t know that,” Shiro insists. “Maybe he’s just shy. He’s probably really nice, he just needs a friend.”

“Then go talk to him,” Matt suggests. Shiro just groans in response. Matt rolls his eyes, glancing over at Kogane.

He’s cute, there’s no denying that. Longish hair, pale skin, and – judging from the rumour mill – pretty violet eyes that a human shouldn’t actually be able to have. A little on the short side, slender, but perfectly capable of holding his own in a fight. Definitely Shiro’s type. He does tend to have a thing for the dangerous ones. Currently, he’s ignoring one of the other cadets; McLain, Matt thinks his name is. The guy’s chatting up a storm, obviously getting way too close for Kogane’s comfort, while his ever-present buddy – Garrett, was it? – holds up his hands apologetically. Matt’s kind of curious, so he stands and makes his way over.

“Are you ignoring me?” McLain is asking as he gets within earshot. “What, don’t have anything smart to say? Hey, c’mon, Keith! How about a little competition? Best sim score this afternoon wins? Whaddaya say? Hey!”

Matt’s seen many explosions in his time, and he recognises the warning signs; Kogane looks tense, shoulders slightly hunched, hands curling into loose at his sides before relaxing as he forces himself not to lash out. His posture is screaming warnings that McLain doesn’t seem to be picking up on. Matt figures he should intervene before someone gets hurt, or expelled.

“Kogane!” he calls, drawing all three cadets’ attention towards him. “Nice work on that sim yesterday! I’ve never seen anyone finish it like you did; you mind coming over to my table and explaining how you did that? I mean, that loop- to avoid the asteroid, at the end? That was awesome!”

Kogane’s mouth twitches downwards slightly. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to, but he’s smart enough to recognise the out when Matt offers it. He shrugs. “Sure,” he says, pushing off the wall and walking straight past his fellow cadets.

“Nice.” Matt leads him over to their table and sits, leaving Kogane the choice between sitting next to him or next to Shiro, who still has his face pressed to the table. “Hey, Shiro,” he says, poking his friend’s forehead, “you met Kogane?”

“Huh?” Shiro sits up, notices the younger cadet, and turns to offer Matt a shocked stare. “Oh, hey. I’m-”

“Takashi Shirogane,” Kogane interrupts. “Yeah, I know. Everyone knows who you are.”

“Oh. Right,” Shiro says awkwardly. “Uh, call me Shiro, everyone does.”

“Hm,” Kogane replies. “And you’re… Matt Holt,” he says, turning to Matt. “Your dad did that paper on life outside the solar system, right?”

“That was him, yeah,” Matt says. “You read it?”

“It was interesting.” Kogane seems to relax a little. “He’s right, too; it’s stupid to think all life forms are carbon-based. The government’s idea of life is too narrow to allow for all the possibilities in an infinite universe.”

“You believe in aliens, then?” Shiro asks curiously.

“Yeah.” Kogane nods. “I mean, what’re the chances that this is the only planet capable of supporting any kind of life?”

Shiro and Kogane fall into an easy discussion about alien life at that point, one Matt mostly tunes out. He catches enough to realise that Shiro is annoyingly right, as always; Kogane – Keith – really isn’t that bad. Sure, he’s a little hostile, and a lot defensive, but overall he’s… pretty nice. Shiro shoots him a satisfied smile at one point. Matt shrugs and smiles back.

* * *

 

They start inviting Keith to their late-night stargazing sessions soon after that. Keith knows a lot about stars and constellations, and introduces them to constellations from a bunch of different cultures. “I like the stories,” he says at one point. That’s all the explanation he gives, and that’s fine. Keith isn’t very talkative.

After a few months, Keith takes them to a little shack in the desert where, he says, he used to live with his father. It’s small, and not the most comfortable, but it’s nice. Shiro starts lending Keith his hoverbike in return. Matt just watches the way the two of them look at each other and fights back the urge to say something.

They are _so_ pining for each other, and somehow neither of them have worked up the courage to do something about it. Sure, Shiro would never make a move on a first year no matter what he wants, but Matt had expected Keith’s impulsiveness to lead to something by now. It’s driving him nuts, watching them dance around each other.

So, naturally, he finds a way to speed things up a little.

He talks to the other cadets, finds a way to sneak some booze into the dorms. Then he invites Keith to his and Shiro’s room for a party.

”Alcohol?” Shiro asks disapprovingly when he pulls it out. “Matt, Keith’s still underage.”

“I don’t mind,” Keith says, taking the glass Matt offers him. “Come on, Takashi, lighten up.”

“I don’t want to hear that from you,” Shiro retorts, but he accepts his own drink anyway. Matt counts that as a success.

They can hold their liquor surprisingly well, it turns out. Matt can hear them talking quietly long after he’s lying on the floor, babbling about how funny the ceiling is. Then there’s a startled yelp, quickly cut off, followed by footsteps leaving the room. Two sets, the sound interspersed with soft whimpers and muffled moans.

He smiles. The hangover will be horrible, but at least he managed to help his friends.


	6. Dalliance

Shiro sighed, falling backwards onto his soft bed. “God, what a day.”

“Is everything alright, Your Highness?”

“Keith.” Shiro sat up again, offering the other a smile. The young knight smiled back. He was standing in the doorway in full armour, helmet under his arm, hair still pulled back from his face. “Yes, now that you’re here.”

“Do you have to talk like that?” Keith blushed, averting his gaze and rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “You sound like someone from a fairytale. How do you do that without being embarrassed?”

It was a little embarrassing, to be honest, but… “I don’t mind it. You’re so cute when you blush, it makes everything worth it.”

Keith groaned. He dropped his helmet on the table and knelt by the bed. “Your Highness, I have returned from patrol. Nothing new to report.”

“You really don’t have to patrol the castle in full armour, you know,” Shiro chided. “Come here. Let me help you with that.”

Keith stood, moving to stand in front of Shiro with his back to him. “As your personal guard, I really should be in armour at all times. What if someone attacked and I wasn’t ready?”

“You sleep with a knife under your pillow, darling,” Shiro said. “I don’t thing lack of readiness is something you need to worry about.”

“That’s not the point, Shiro,” Keith grumbled. “It’s the principle of the thing. I’m supposed to be prepared at all times.”

“I think we’ve learned that already.” Shiro undid the straps holding the breastplate in place, running a finger along Keith’s back as the knight removed the metal with a relieved sigh. “Remember when Lance tried to prove we could be scared?”

“He deserved it,” Keith maintained.

“You might have overreacted,” Shiro said. “But that doesn’t matter now. You’ve been working hard all day, love. Let’s not talk about Lance _now_.”

Keith twisted to face him. “What did he do this time?”

“It wasn’t him, really,” Shiro sighed. “Just the usual reports from the stables. It’s nothing he can help, but it is a lot of work for me…”

“You are allowed to delegate, you know,” Keith pointed out. He leaned forward to undo the rest of the straps. “That’s what your staff is for.”

“It doesn’t seem fair. This is my kingdom, not theirs.”

“Of course.” Keith stood, shoving his armour away from the bed with one foot. He stretched, then sat down next to Shiro. “But you can’t help anyone if you work yourself to death.”

“I know, I know.” Shiro reached out to run a hand through Keith’s hair. “My advisors have started talking about marriage again.”

“Well, you _are_ an adult,” Keith pointed out. He’d gone stiff at Shiro’s side. “It’s only to be expected that the crown prince marry someone. Your parents won’t live forever.”

“That’s what he said, too,” Shiro groaned. “You both know how I feel about that.”

“And I’ve told you before, you can’t marry me!” Keith said sharply. “Shiro, the country needs a solid line of succession, and for that you need to marry someone who can give you children. You can’t throw away the royal line over some dalliance with your guard.”

“You’ve been listening to the servants again,” Shiro noted. “Keith, darling, it doesn’t _matter_. Ryou is perfectly capable of providing heirs for the kingdom; there’s no real reason for me to marry.”

“Other than the fact that the Queen is kinda important,” Keith pointed out. “And you’re throwing away political alliances. And there’s no guarantee the nobility will accept your brother’s children when you’re perfectly capable of having your own. It’s okay, really. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not going to throw you away, Keith,” Shiro insisted. “We’ll make it work somehow. I know we will.”

“’Somehow’,” Keith echoed irritably. “I don’t think that’ll cut it.”

Shiro smiled. “Don’t worry, Keith. Worst comes to worst, I’ll marry… Allura, or someone. She’ll understand.”

“I guess.” Keith sighed and settled more comfortably against his side. “Still a terrible plan.”

“If it means I can stay with you for the rest of our lives, that’s enough for me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I hate this one. But I'm already really late, so...  
> Maybe I'll do Persona 4 AU next. Or Mystic Messenger AU? I don't know. Feel free to let me know what you guys want.


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